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The first time it happens, Reggie and Luke are alone in the garage one afternoon after school, working some new songs and jamming out on their instruments. Reggie’s talked himself into a frenzy about guitar picks, of all things, going on and on about the way he always loses them and how he can’t explain where they even go, and-- He doesn’t actually know how long he’s been ranting about this heartfelt issue when he’s suddenly interrupted by a soft, plush pair of lips pressing against his. The touch is gone before Reggie has a chance to process it, but it effectively shuts him up. He stares at Luke, wide-eyed and confused, heat rising to his cheeks.
“You kissed me!” he shrieks, spluttering as he drops the guitar pick he’s been holding onto for the entirety of his rant. Luke merely chuckles and goes right back to strumming idly on his acoustic guitar. “Luke!” Reggie tries again, staring at his friend like he’s lost his mind. Luke must have lost his mind, right?
“What’s up, bro?” Luke asks casually. Reggie blinks. Did he hallucinate? Did Luke not actually kiss him? He swears he can still feel the phantom press of a pair of chapped lips against his, though.
“You kissed me!” Reggie repeats, throwing his hands up in the air. He’s sure his cheeks look like he’s dunked his head into a bucket of Sangria.
Luke chuckles again and eyes him curiously.
“I’m aware, Reg,” he says. “You literally would not stop getting all worked up about some plastic, dude. I tried interrupting you multiple times, and you kept ignoring me. Kissing you, however? Super effective. I should have tried that a long time ago.”
Reggie blinks again, gesturing wildly. He can’t believe Luke is so casual about this, when he-- when he what? Feels like his whole world just shifted and turned on its axis?
“But— but— you can’t just kiss me! I mean, kissing is supposed to be a thing you do with the things-- people that you love! It’s supposed to be romantic or sexy, or… I don’t know! Using it to silence your friend seems kinda rude, Luke, and I know you have no regard for physical boundaries, but you never know whose world you might rock— I mean, you could totally throw people off with this! And okay, I get it, you’re Luke Patterson. You’re hot and shit, and everyone wants to kiss you, but maybe you shouldn’t assume that—”
Luke’s lips are suddenly back on Reggie’s, and he sucks in a sharp breath as his rant comes to another rather abrupt halt. He lingers a little longer this time, and Reggie really wants to shove him away, tell him how he’s way out of line, give him a piece of his mind-- Yeah, no. Reggie kisses him back. He doesn’t know why, exactly, but when Luke moves his chapped yet soft lips against his, Reggie loses every bit of his resolve, every shred of self-control. It’s a good kiss, too good, one might argue. Too good for a casual kiss happening between two friends that was merely supposed to effectively shut one of them up. Luke draws him a little closer by grabbing the front of Reggie’s shirt, deepening the kiss just for a moment before releasing his grip on Reggie with one last loud and wet smack. Reggie feels distinctly out of breath and rather shaken when he pulls away. He opens and closes his mouth a few times, not a single sound coming out, and watches as Luke grins nonchalantly and picks his guitar back up. He must have put it down without Reggie noticing as he ranted about Luke’s kissing. Oh boy.
“You did it again!” Reggie eventually managed to squeak.
“Yeah, and this time you kissed me back. Thanks, bro,” Luke says, and Reggie wonders if he set the heating up a little too high. He’s certainly feeling a little too hot all of a sudden.
“But—” Reggie starts, but Luke raises a hand and places a finger against his lips.
“Not that I don’t like kissing you, bro, but it’s kind of distracting. I’d rather go back to working on this song now, if you don’t mind. You know, before you jump right into another one of your endless rants.”
There is a gleam in Luke’s eyes that Reggie can’t place, and he shuts his mouth as he reaches for his bass. It’s not that he doesn’t want Luke to kiss him again - which is a realisation that immediately sends him into a whole different kind of panic that he keeps to himself within the confinements of his own mind - but he doesn’t even know where to start on any of it. So he keeps quiet for now and lets the music carry him through the rest of their afternoon. He can’t help glancing at Luke’s lips from time to time, though, almost feeling overwhelmed by the idea that they’ve been pressed against his own multiple times now, and that Reggie absolutely enjoyed it.
++
The next time it happens, they’re at school. Reggie yells at some guys for making fun of a girl wearing black lipstick. Luke joins in when one of them threatens to punch Reggie in the face, and they manage to scare them off as a united force.
“I’m sorry you had to deal with those idiots,” Reggie says softly as he approaches the girl, who holds her shoulder a little too tightly against her locker, completely drawn in on herself. “I— I’m Reggie. This is Luke,” he introduces them. The girl gives them a small smile. Honestly, Reggie thinks she looks super cute. She looks like she probably listens to their kind of music.
“Thank you, guys. I’m Maria,” she says shyly. “I just moved here.”
“For the record, I think your lipstick looks super cool,” Reggie tells her, “You look like a badass rockstar.”
“Yeah, dude! It’s dope,” Luke agrees. “Those guys are clearly just plain ass losers.”
Reggie sends him a smile, and Luke returns it with a genuine sort of sparkle in his eyes. Maria blushes ever so slightly, but stands a little taller as she pushes herself away from the lockers.
“Thank you. You know what? You’re absolutely right. I’m cute!”
Luke and Reggie both chuckle and high five her as she walks away with a “See you around.”
Reggie lets out an angry huff when they step outside the school building. Luke had decided they both need some air after their first big bully fight since Reggie was bullied himself in middle school.
“I just don’t get it!” Reggie exclaims as they round a corner to hide from any stray teachers lurking around. “Why do people care so much about what others look like? Why do they care about what other people like, or who they love? It shouldn’t matter! It makes no sense. It changes nothing for them, it doesn’t affect or impact their lives in any way. So why do they have to torment others and force their terrible tastes on them? It’s not just that girl! It’s Alex, too. It’s everyone who doesn’t fit the norm. What’s that even supposed to be? Who even established that? Just let people like what or who they like, right? It’s not that hard! It shouldn’t--”
A pair of familiar lips interrupt Reggie, crashing firmly against his and pushing him back against the school’s brick wall. Luke is kissing him again. Luke is kissing him again! In public! At school. What? Reggie knows this is insane, and potentially dangerous, but then he remembers his own rant, and suddenly all his urge to push Luke away evaporates into nothingness. He kisses back instead. Again. It starts out soft, but this time Luke doesn’t pull away, doesn’t even make an attempt to. Instead he deepens the kiss, one hand coming up to cup Reggie’s cheek, the other sneaking under Reggie’s shirt to rest on his bare back as he keeps him close. Reggie shivers under the touch of his cool fingertips, but it’s the best feeling in the world. He’s never felt like this about anyone before. He’s never wanted to keep kissing anyone as much as he wants to keep kissing Luke, and that’s terrifying in so many ways. Luke doesn’t like him back like that, he’s sure of it. Not that he likes — Okay, yeah. Maybe. Maybe he likes Luke a little bit more than he should. Maybe he’s definitely not straight, if he does. And maybe he doesn’t care. Because this is Luke. And kissing Luke is the best thing in the world.
“I like you,” Luke says with a smile when he pulls away. He almost looks a little shy, tentative and vulnerable, presenting his heart on a silver platter. “Is that okay, too?”
Reggie blinks at him for several moments before breaking into the brightest beam of a smile he could possibly muster. Okay, maybe Reggie was wrong with his assessment of Luke’s feelings for him.
“Of course, dude,” Reggie tells him softly. “Like who you want to like, love who you want to love, I just told you--”
“That’s really all you have to say?” Luke asks, eyebrows raised in confusion as he interrupts Reggie without the need of a kiss this time. “I mean, I was just joking around at first, but Reg-- you’re actually really kind of wonderful, and I just— I know this is a little sudden, and I didn’t see it coming either, but I just like you so much, and I don’t know how to stop it. Ever since I kissed you for the first time, I’ve been waiting for you to go on another rant, just so I’d have an excuse to kiss you again. You’re driving me insane, Reg. I can’t even—”
Reggie kisses Luke. He kisses him because he can, and because there is something to be said about coming full circle on things. He also kisses him because he really, really wants to kiss him. Luke instantly kisses back, his tongue brushing over the seams of Reggie’s lips, asking to be let in. Reggie welcomes him, his hand coming up to the back of Luke’s head to keep him steady, softly tugging at his brown curls there. Luke moans quietly, and Reggie feels it vibrating between their lips.
“I don’t think I just like you,” Reggie murmurs.
Luke pulls back a little, grinning. Reggie’s cheeks are pink, he just knows they are. It’s a big admission, and one they can’t come back from now. It changes their friendship forever. But then, Reggie thinks, Luke already did that when he kissed him for the first time. It could have been casual in theory, but not between them. There is just too much there. Too much emotion. He and Luke have always been just a little too close for casual.
“Oh, yeah?” Luke asks. “Say, Reg, are you in love with me, then?”
Reggie snorts and pulls Luke back in for another kiss. He takes his time, kissing him slowly, letting himself feel every last bit of it. When he breaks it again after a minute or two, he’s certain.
“Yup. Completely and totally,” he tells him with a dopey smile.
“Good,” Luke says, wrapping his arms around Reggie, picking him up and spinning him around, effectively making Reggie shriek in surprise.
“Luuuuke!” Reggie yells when Luke refuses to put him back down. “Does that mean you’re in love with me too?”
That seems to do the trick, because Luke does put him back down, then. He smiles softly, and cups Reggie’s cheek, thumb brushing over his skin.
“Of course, you dork.”
Reggie giggles. He feels warm and fluttery all over. He’s so in love.
“How the hell did this happen?” he asks, gesturing between them.
“I don’t know,” Luke says, “But it’s all thanks to your pretty mouth not knowing how to shut up.”
Reggie pouts, but the grin is still pulling at his lips.
“I’ll make you shut up.”
And then he kisses him again, right there, not even caring if anyone sees.
+++
“We’ve got news!” Luke announces when he and Reggie step into the garage that afternoon, holding hands and both grinning rather stupidly. Bobby is looking up from his spot on the couch, and Alex stops his idle drumming to turn his eyes to them as well.
“Did you book us a gig?” Bobby asks.
“No. Better,” Luke tells them, and then turns to kiss Reggie square on the mouth. Reggie kisses back, but just for a moment. They don’t want to gross their friends out. Okay, well, maybe they do. But that’s not the point right now.
“What the fuck?” Bobby wrinkles his nose. “How is you two smooching better than a gig?”
“Luke loves me,” Reggie announces happily.
Bobby makes a noise somewhere between grunting and gagging.
“Still gross, dude. Still not better than a gig. But congrats, I guess. About time.”
Luke and Reggie both eye him curiously, but Bobby doesn’t elaborate and goes back to strumming on his guitar instead. Alex blinks at them, seemingly frozen to the spot.
“But— what? You— I didn’t even know you two like boys, why didn’t you tell me, we could’ve talked about it! I can’t believe you wouldn’t tell me! How did this even happen? Are you, like, seriously dating now? Meanwhile I can’t even get a date around here, I can’t believe this. I mean, why now, how…” Alex keeps ranting, looking completely taken aback, and Luke and Reggie merely share a glance between them before walking over to Alex, one boy on each of his sides. They lean in at the same time, both pressing a kiss to Alex’s cheeks and effectively shutting him up. It always works. They high five behind his back and then sandwich him into a hug.
- END. -